Most business IT users will have uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to protect their most critical systems and servers. These enable the equipment to ride out minor fluctuations in the power supply, with enough battery life to shut things down smoothly in the event of total failure or enough time to switch over to a standby generator supply.

Recently, however, a newer kid has appeared on the UPS block in the form of eco-mode units. These have all the advantages of a normal UPS, with the addition of technology to give greater efficiency that can help to cut your power bills.

How eco-mode works

How does eco-mode work? Part of what a UPS does – in addition to providing a battery backup – is to smooth out the mains supply. When the supply coming in from your electricity provider is stable, an eco-UPS will automatically switch itself into what is called bypass mode. This reduces the energy losses inherent in older designs, which always run your systems via the UPS. In eco-mode, the battery in the UPS still gets charged but the load needed to do so is reduced and the cooling fan does not need to work as hard because the attached systems are effectively being fed direct from the mains.

Once the mains supply shows signs of fluctuation, the UPS will switch back to more conventional operation. It may not seem that these changes could make a significant difference; however, they can save enough money in large-scale IT operations to recoup the cost of the UPS over a relatively short time scale.

Eco-mode risks

There are therefore energy savings to be made by using eco-mode-enabled Eaton UPS Systems from a supplier such as http://www.cppsales.com/; however, it is important to note that there are also some risks.

The switching itself presents a minor risk, as there could be a brief variation in the power delivered. It is also the case that most systems do not run a full load all the time. It is possible to get harmonic distortion setting in when running part loads, which can upset sensitive equipment. Similarly, if you use a generator for backup power in the event of mains failure, this can cause problems. Eco-mode should therefore usually be disabled when a generator is in use, with most systems doing this automatically.